WHEN IT COMES TO HERBS, we Westerners like to keep things simple: For this ailment, take this herb. Catching a cold? Take echinacea. Feeling stressed and anxious? Try lavender. Migraine? Feverfew! In fact, we often refer to our herbal cures as “simples.”
The herbs of the East, on the other hand, seem more complex. Instead of our one-herb-one-cure approach, Traditional Chinese Medicine and India’s Ayurveda–two of the world’s oldest healing traditions–tend to approach herbs as team players, creating complex formulations that sometimes contain as many as 40 discrete ingredients. Both systems consider patients to be more than the sum of their symptoms, using methods like acupuncture, yoga, and diet to help unblock and rebalance energy to correct illness. And both systems are best accessed through qualified practitioners who can tailor a treatment plan to your own unique, exact needs.
But you don’t necessarily need the ongoing supervision of a professional to tap into these potential treatments. Asian herbs are some of the most powerful remedies out there, and they can be just as easy as Western herbs to use. Some have already become Westernized–consider ginger, now considered the premier natural remedy for nausea caused by motion sickness or morning sickness.
Others are still unfamiliar to Americans, especially as health aids. But while you may eventually want to graduate to a more comprehensive use of Eastern practices, you can still get the “simple” head-to-toe benefits offered by the dozen powerhouse herbs described here. All are considered safe when used as recommended, though you should always consult your physician when starting or altering an herbal regimen. (NOTE: The recommended dosages are for typical extracts and formulations; when using commercial products, follow package directions. Talk to your health-care practitioner to fine-tune dosages based on your specific needs.)
Elements of india
AYURVEDA AND Traditional Chinese Medicine evolved in fair proximity over thousands of years. “As one might expect of geographic neighbors, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine share many concepts,” says psychiatrist Alan Brauer, M.D., director of the TotalCare Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif. One is the idea of life energy–qi in Chinese thinking, prana in Ayurveda; another is the view of the body as a microcosm of the world it inhabits.
The herbs of the East, on the other hand, seem more complex. Instead of our one-herb-one-cure approach, Traditional Chinese Medicine and India’s Ayurveda–two of the world’s oldest healing traditions–tend to approach herbs as team players, creating complex formulations that sometimes contain as many as 40 discrete ingredients. Both systems consider patients to be more than the sum of their symptoms, using methods like acupuncture, yoga, and diet to help unblock and rebalance energy to correct illness. And both systems are best accessed through qualified practitioners who can tailor a treatment plan to your own unique, exact needs.
But you don’t necessarily need the ongoing supervision of a professional to tap into these potential treatments. Asian herbs are some of the most powerful remedies out there, and they can be just as easy as Western herbs to use. Some have already become Westernized–consider ginger, now considered the premier natural remedy for nausea caused by motion sickness or morning sickness.
Others are still unfamiliar to Americans, especially as health aids. But while you may eventually want to graduate to a more comprehensive use of Eastern practices, you can still get the “simple” head-to-toe benefits offered by the dozen powerhouse herbs described here. All are considered safe when used as recommended, though you should always consult your physician when starting or altering an herbal regimen. (NOTE: The recommended dosages are for typical extracts and formulations; when using commercial products, follow package directions. Talk to your health-care practitioner to fine-tune dosages based on your specific needs.)
Elements of india
AYURVEDA AND Traditional Chinese Medicine evolved in fair proximity over thousands of years. “As one might expect of geographic neighbors, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine share many concepts,” says psychiatrist Alan Brauer, M.D., director of the TotalCare Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif. One is the idea of life energy–qi in Chinese thinking, prana in Ayurveda; another is the view of the body as a microcosm of the world it inhabits.
0 comments:
Post a Comment